Styles and trends shift and if you don't keep up or keep ahead then your work can very quickly look outdated. In our current society of the next new thing after next new thing, looking dated isn't a good look. It's important to note that dated isn't the same as Retro or Revival.
As a creative and Director of Photography it can be very easy to fall into the trap of turning your nose up at new styles and trends, vertical video I'm looking at you! But the reality is that it's our job to stay up to date and push boundaries. 'Safe' is the step you take just before 'irrelevant'. There is also an argument to be made for shooting in a timeless way, which is what you would expect to see from a period drama for instance. It's a very classical way of shooting, but even in this realm, if you look back 30 years you will see a style shift. New technology demands it.
Little Mix - Bounce Back. Directed by Laurence Warder. DoP Tom Watts
When I look back at the last 10 years of style and fashion the one word I would use to describe it is 'beige'. It's been safe and boring and I don't like it. Thankfully we are going through a bit of a culture shift, 90s style is coming back in a big way. When looking at revivals it's important to ask why? Why 90's? it's not just that everyone fancied a bit of 90s fashion. Fashion and trends follow societies vibe, not the other way round. People want 90s vibe, it was fun and nostalgia is in, in a big way. Pay attention to what your friends are talking about, how many of them are nostalgic right now? Ergo 90s revival.
So how does this effect us as filmmakers and creatives? Well a lot. If we can't produce work that is up to date and sympathetic to evolving styles then you will just drift into irrelevance. Filmmaking is at peak accessibly and someone with more interesting ideas will just replace you. It's much better and in my opinion, much more exciting to instead of fighting change, embrace it and lead it. It's inevitable.
For a specific example in film terms I'm going to use 3 point lighting. I was at uni when the DSLR revolution happened and this was the main style of lighting taught to us. As people left uni, bought DSLRs and started tutorial youtube channels this is what they also taught. Other people starting youtube tutorial channels then also taught this lighting style that they had learned from previous youtube channels. And there we have a neat little microcosm of how style is spread and established. The problem with 3 point lighting is that it wasn't developed for DSRL film making and modern technology and in my opinion, was already looking very dated. I don't like 3 point lighting, I think it looks ugly and now thankfully it is seen less and less.
Professional film makers got involved in the online tutorial scene and showed us how the big boys (and it still is mostly boys, sort it out film industry) do things. This is knowledge that us mere mortals outside of the high flying Hollywood film makers just didn't have access too until fairly recently. People like Roger Deakins and also the Wandering DP were handing out knowledge freely and it again changed the lighting landscape. We swapped 3 point lighting for 'big and soft', straight faces all round people.
Diamond Black - Scarlet. Directed By Andy Michaels. DoP Tom Watts
This is now the firmly established lighting style, better digital sensors can handle the dynamic range shift this lighting creates and we're back to a more photographic influence of lighting which in turn were drawing from the Baroque period of art. We're all guilty of smugly saying 'Rembrandt lighting'. I love the Baroque period, the style is absolutely my jam. The problem is that style is going to shift again very soon. Big and soft will be out and bright and vivid will be in.
So how do we stay current? Commissioning works in exactly the same way that the DSLR 3 point lighting tutorials worked. People look around, see what everyone else is doing and ask for more of the same. After a while the style becomes stale and safe and people want something new. No one wants their work to be forgettable. Staying with a dated zeitgeist is a really good way of being forgettable. This transitional moment is a huge opportunity for creatives though. It's our time to shine and do what we do best, be creative. Throw off the shackles and do something interesting.
For me personally I'm going to have a hard time letting go of my darling Baroque influences so I'll just be post modern about it and smash two styles together. Ladies, Gentlemen and everyone in-between, brace yourselves. Neon Baroque!
Diamond Black - Scarlet. Directed By Andy Michaels. DoP Tom Watts
This is the lighting style I have been favouring recently and I really like it. It's current while also familiar and looks dead sexy. I'm still playing with the style and experimenting and I'm not 100% sure where I want to go with it yet but that the exciting part.
What are you doing to stay current?
